Thrifty Thursday: Teddy Bear Clinc

       A few weeks ago, I received an email from an observant neighbor who thought my children might enjoy an upcoming activity at a nearby Hospital. Children were to bring their stuffed animals for a hands-on tour through the facility. They'd be given trinkets at each stop and served lunch afterwards. The event was free! It sounded too good to be true. The kids were enthusiastic when I told them about the activity. So on the appointed day, we packed into the minivan and headed up to the Hospital where over half of them had been born!

    We arrived only a few minutes past the starting time. When we approached the main entrance, we were told to go around the other side of the building - the tour started in Labor and Delivery. Rounding the corner of the building, we could see 2 large pavilions set up where volunteers were busily filing people through, as they allowed visitors into the hospital a few batches at a time. And stretched in a never-ending line across the parking lot were all the eager tourists.
     Oh boy.
     I was not prepared to stand in the sun for what turned out to be two, grueling hours. I hadn't brought sunscreen, water bottles, or any form of entertainment for the kids. Fortunately, I did remember the stroller, and several miracles combined to make the wait more "bear"able. I held our spot in line and sent the older kids into the shade to wait. Two moms in front of me in line offered to share their sunscreen. They also pitched in to help watch my older kiddos when I needed to step into the shade to nurse the baby. God bless you, unknown mothers! Another miracle was that my sister-in-law happened to be in attendance, too. She helped keep an eye on a few of my kids as well. God bless you, Karyn!
       The staff for the event was refreshingly helpful, handing out ice-cold bottles of water and allowing thirsty kids to scoop up handfuls of ice from their coolers. God bless you, hospital staff! I doused a clean burp-cloth with the cold water and hung it around my neck or wiped down my overheated children. My poor two-year-old's face was aflame. He looked like he'd been to the face-painting tent and had roses painted into his adorable cheeks. But what a trooper! He was content to sit in the stroller the entire time. We endured the 2 hour wait with minimal fussing and only one half-hearted melt-down towards the very end. I was amazed and relieved. God bless you, patient children!

My 3 year old with her little lamb, "Cherry", relieved to be in the air-conditioned
entrance to the Labor and Delivery unit, awaiting our turn for a tour.

My oldest was the only one interested in the face-painting. She told the artists to just "do a design".
The result was a lovely, butterfly-esque purple, white and pink swirl.
She also lucked out at the registration tent as the children were being handed tote bags and maps.
Each child could pick a lollipop from a bucket. Hers was specially marked to receive a prize - a new teddy bear!
His name tag read "Knuckles", but she settled on the more dignified name of "Mr. Cocoa".

My newborn, probably wondering when she can get out of the car seat again.

       Our tour began in Labor and Delivery, where each beloved stuffed animal was given an identification wrist band, and weighed and measured by cheerful nurses. Proud "parents" were presented with birth certificates and complimentary onesies for their newborns. They even wrapped diapers around the animals!
       Then we were lead to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where parents could tend to the babies that needed special care.

My 5-year-old listens to the heartbeat of his faithful puppy, "Woody".

Woody needed some help from the ventilator to get his lungs working properly.

       From there, we headed outside to the helicopter pad where the flight crew explained their work and allowed the kids to sit in the Life-Flight helicopter! At each station, the children were presented with a memento to add to their tote bags. The flight crew handed out boomerangs!

       Then in was on to Radiology. Kids were shown X-rays and stuffed animals had their broken limbs bandaged.

Poor Cherry. Maybe next time she'll be more careful when she leaps over the farm gate!

       My favorite stop was in the Laboratory Services. I'd met the male nurse a few times before, having brought my kids in to have their bilirubin levels tested. He is incredibly kind and sensitive to the children's needs. On the tour, he asked a volunteer to place their toy up on the hospital bed. My daughter's beloved "Goldie" was given the place of honor. He gathered the children around and calmly explained to them the various reasons they may require lab work and how blood samples are taken.

       The nurse then asked my daughter to hold on to Goldie's paw while he drew some blood. This was the coolest part to me! He then presented the children with these click-pens that look like syringes filled with blood! Totally awesome! The kids got to practice on their stuffed animals.

       Just before moving on, I mentioned to the nurse how much I appreciated his enthusiasm and sensitivity in his work. "Well, it helps to have been a patient myself when I was their age," he explained. He said none of the doctors or nurses ever talked to him and he was always scared, not knowing what to expect. My heart ached for him, but was also filled with gratitude at how he'd used the trials he'd undergone to create a more positive experience for the patients he treats. God bless you, lab nurse!

       Nearing the end of our tour, the children donned surgical masks and caps and scrubbed up to perform an operation on their trusting toys! I could not get over how cool this was.

"Scalpel. . ."

Checking to see if "Wuffy-Puppy" still has full range of movement.

It was Out-patient surgey. He got to come home the same day.

        My baby was hungry again towards the last stop. The caring staff allowed me use of a locker room to nurse her while my older kids finished their tour. We each received a balloon as a parting gift and enjoyed hot dogs and chips at the conclusion of our visit.

       I was feeling worn out as I loaded the kids back into the car for the ride home. But my heart lifted when I heard my 8-year-old son exclaim in his characteristic, matter-of-fact tone, "Well, the waiting was all worth it."

       *Contented sigh*.

       Thank you, volunteers, for a fun and frugal educational experience at the Teddy Bear Clinic. God bless you!